Two more steps to Paris

There are certainly athletes who would like to take a vacation this summer. However, the European Championships are getting in the way for footballers and the Olympic Games are on the agenda for many other athletes. The German handball players also want to get there, but there are still two hurdles for the summer players to overcome in qualifying. In our Germany vs Croatia betting tip, we take a look at whether the DHB men can take the next step on Saturday

Ahead of this match, let’s take another look at the format. Four teams – Croatia, Germany, Algeria and Austria – will meet in Hanover. The two best teams will travel to Paris, while the other two can actually go on vacation. After the first match day, there are the first indications of how this qualifying tournament could end.

As expected, Germany clearly won their opening match against Algeria. The Croatians, after some problems in the meantime, won through against Austria. This means that the two favorites are ahead in the standings and the winner of the direct duel on Saturday has the very best chances of making it to the Summer Games. Ahead of the match between Germany and Croatia, it is safe to predict that both will punch their ticket to Paris 2024

If Hrvatska win on Saturday, Croatia will almost certainly be through. A stumble against Algeria seems out of the question. In that case, there will probably be a real final between Germany and Austria on Sunday. However, if the DHB men remain victorious against the throwers from the Balkans, then the Germans have the best prospects. However, it is clear that the final decision on both Olympic tickets will only be made on Sunday

Germany – statistics & current form

When you finish fourth behind France, Denmark and Sweden at your home European Championships, you would think that German handball has an absolutely world-class team. However, Alfred Gislason’s team will have to earn this title over the next few years, when key players such as Juri Knorr, Julian Köster and Renars Uscins have matured a little more

Germany not consistently at a high level

Until then, it remains to be said that the German selection is still very erratic in its performances and is often carried by the outstanding Andreas Wolff. The European Championship record of four wins, four defeats and one draw suggests that the German handball team still has a lot of room for improvement and that this fourth place may be a little deceptive about their current performance

It would be all the more important to secure one of two Olympic tickets at home. A win against Austria on Sunday will definitely be enough. But first up are the Croatians, against whom they suffered a heavy defeat in January, and it is important not to lose sight of the fact that they have lost three and won just one of their last four international matches.

The German men secured victory against Algeria on Thursday. The North Africans held their own for a long time because the DHB team gave away a lot of easy shots in offense and didn’t play consistently enough in defense. It was only in the final phase, when Algeria’s strength waned, that the German team pulled away and ultimately won 41:29. Renars Uscins in particular, who scored ten goals, and keeper Andreas Wolff left their mark on the match.

Predicted line-up of Germany:

• Goal: Späth, Wolff
• Back line: Heymann, Köster, Knorr, Lichtlein, Michalczik, Witzke, Uscins, Semper, Steinert
• Left wing: Dahmke, Mertens
• Right wing: Kastening, Zerbe
• Circle: Golla, Kohlbacher
• Coach: Gislason

Croatia – Statistics & current form

Germany against Croatia is an exciting match in itself, but the new coach on the Croatian bench will make it even more so. Dagur Sigurdsson has spent a large part of his career as a player and coach in Germany and led the German men to the European Championship title in 2016 and the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Rio.

Sigurdsson against his past

Now the Icelander has decided to put his certain personal Olympic ticket on the line with the Japanese and join the Croatians. It was his passion for handball that brought the coach back to Europe. His first match as coach in charge was against the Austrians, who Dagur Sigurdsson coached from 2008-2010, and now against Germany.

His comeback in European handball could not have been more explosive. After finishing eleventh at the European Championships in January, it was clear that something had to happen for the Croatians. Although they won against Germany, Hrvatska fell far short of their own expectations and potential. After three defeats in a row, the last two victories at least seem to be a sign that the Croatians are once again a force to be reckoned with.

In the opening game of this qualifying tournament, the score against Austria was still 16:16 at the break, but the Croatians got into the game better and better in the second half and eventually won by a clear 35:29. Ivan Martinovic from MT Melsungen was his team’s best scorer with nine goals. If Hrvatska manage to play against the DHB men for 60 minutes like they did in the second half against Austria, we predict a win for the visitors between Germany and Croatia

Predicted line-up for Croatia:

• Goal: Kuzmanovic, Mandic
• Back line: Duvnjak, Karacic, Mamic, Cindric, Martinovic, Srna, Klarica, Gojun
• Left wing: Mihic, Jelinic
• Right wing: Sostaric, Glavas
• Circle: Nacinovic, Sipic
• Coach: Sigurdsson

Germany – Croatia head-to-head comparison / H2H result

Germany and the newly independent Croats faced each other for the first time in July 1992. In the meantime, there have been 31 duels and the direct comparison is slightly in favor of the German team. After wins, the score is 14:13 in favor of the DHB team. The two opponents have only drawn once.

From an Olympic perspective, the final in Athens 2004 must of course be mentioned here. In Christian Schwarzer’s 300th international match, Germany had to settle for silver after a 24:26 defeat. Apart from that, let’s take a look at the last match in the main round of the European Championship in January. The game was meaningless for both teams and yet Alfred Gislason certainly had a completely different idea of this game than losing it by a clear margin of 24:30

Germany – Croatia betting tip

It’s all to play for for Germany against Austria on Sunday. Nevertheless, Alfred Gislason’s team can significantly improve their starting position with a win against the Croatians on Saturday. But we are not really convinced. Overall, the DHB men look too fragile. If they manage to play consistently over 60 minutes, the Germans will be difficult to beat – but that has never been the case in recent matches.

After three defeats in a row, there was at least one win again on Thursday, and then with a twelve-goal difference. However, it was only against Algeria. Even in this match, the German team had its problems

But we think that the Croats will score at least one more goal in the end. It was already clear at the European Championship what potential Hrvatska has. We think that Dagur Sigurdsson will now awaken this potential just as he did with the German team in 2016. That’s why we’ve decided to play the odds on a win for the visitors between Germany and Croatia